Friends, we are distracted. This year has been a difficult year. For me, literally the most difficult year I can remember having. And, it’s only June. I could list all the issues/hurt that I (my family included) have dealt with this year. I bet each one of you have something that could trump it one way or another. Let me continue by saying, it’s not about me. Last week, my heart was destroyed when a young man walked into a church in my hometown of Charleston, SC and killed 9 members (after sitting with them during a Bible study). Since then I’ve realized everything in my life that’s about ‘me’ is just a distraction. This is going to sound idealistic but we are called to love one another. Simply, love one another. I say “Simply” in a sarcastic-ish tone because love is never simple, or is it? Here’s what I’ve been working thru my mind since last week; The simplicity of love is made complex by the distractions in our life. We make love complex! Deep, right? Not really. We make love complex when we allow distractions to enter our mind. What are these distractions? Well, it depends on you. A few of the distractions I’ve noticed just the past few days that take away from loving others: The Confederate Flag The New Black Panthers Westboro Baptist Church “Christians” on Facebook Liberal Politicians Conservative Politicians Guns the Supreme Court “They/Them” Fox News CNN News I’m sure some of you have something to say about a few of those distractions and how they make you feel. Whether you like one or hate...

Well, it’s been a good many months since we had the vision for Building Love. It’s been a crazy road and many times just down right slow. The IRS has no idea what efficiency means when processing and working with new non-profits. Sorry. That’s another long blog post. 🙂 Here’s the good stuff! The website is up and running! We currently have 3 projects on the site with 6-7 more coming in the next month. Really exciting times. If you don’t mind, check out the site. Share the site. Get involved! Check out the Building Love Website!!! Our Building Love crew is heading back to Nicaragua in late Sept thru early October. We’ll be repairing some homes and working on a local AA house. Alcoholism is a huge issue and we are proud to support the local AA and working on their meeting house. Interested in going? Sign up on the Building Love website to stay up...

Wow. A new blog post. Something must have happened!!! Yes, life has continued to happen. 🙂 A few questions about things in my life have surfaced lately and I figured it would be best to share. That way there isn’t any mis-information (or at least a little less). First off- I’m not perfect and I never have been. Shocker, right? Nobody is perfect on this earth but how we deal with the “less than perfect” people can define us. It can shape our attitudes and our daily experiences. However, this story about forgiveness isn’t about me. It’s about Renee. My wife of 21 years this week. She’s the hero of the story. Without her forgiveness there is no 21 years. Around 20 years ago, Renee and I got in an argument. It was big enough for me to storm out of the house for the night. Not a night I’m proud of at all. I won’t get into the details (if we are friends and you want the story I’m happy to tell you). We aren’t hiding anything but some details are meant for personal conversation. Renee and I dealt with that night several years ago. She forgave. No, it wasn’t that easy. Trust is hard to come by. Forgiveness and memories are not easy to deal with. Renee dealt with it all and she forgave me. We moved on and life was back to normal. Or so we thought. This past weekend we met a beautiful young lady named Morgan for the first time. She’s 18. She’s my daughter. She’s pretty awesome and we are excited to...

Check out our new press release for Building Love! ————————– Franklin, TN (PRWEB) October 17, 2012 Innovative nonprofit, Building Love is setting out to build safe, simple homes in the areas of Central America hardest hit by poverty. With an initial goal of working in Nicaragua, the organization will partner with both the families receiving the homes, as well as other nonprofit and mission organizations to accomplish this goal. Funded by crowdsourcing, the organization hopes to meet its financial goal of $15,000 to get Building Love off the ground and building homes as soon as possible. Founded by Jason Bradford and Matt Tyler, Building Love is reaching across the world to provide shelter to families in need. Bradford was moved to do something following a trip to Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the world. After witnessing the living conditions of the people he visited there, he knew he had to act. “While in Nicaragua we met families living in homes as small as 15′ x 20′. Sometimes there would be 10 or more people sharing one house,” Bradford said. “We were particularly moved by a young expectant mother named Haley and her family, who asked us to help her complete her house, which would measure 15’x15’ upon completion. During that trip, we helped give Haley a house for her husband and two children, plus the one on the way. We then knew we could do more, and the idea for Building Love began to take shape.” “After analyzing how we could help provide additional housing to some of these people, we determined the cost of materials to finish the homes...

Our Building Love campaign is in full swing! We’ve raised over $1200 in just 4 days and have a long way to go. Thanks to those who have given and shared. I’m simply in awe of the generosity! As a “founder” (sounds important but it’s really not) I realize that I too must give to this startup. I also realize that many will give in rough times because that is who they are and they know that building a home is important. You’ll notice I keep using the word “home”. To me a home is built by love with family members and friends, with laughter and tears, a home is what we choose to make it. A house… well is a house. It’s got walls and a roof and sometimes a floor. We are building houses but our focus is to build homes. As many of you know I’m an avid vinyl collector! My collection is well over 4,000 and I’ve decided it’s time to trim down to help Building Love. You heard it right. Trim it down. Over the coming weeks I’ll be putting groups of 10-20 records up for auction on ebay. The money raised will go 100% to the Building Love campaign (minus the ebay/paypal fees!). So my vinyl friends, get ready- there is going to be some great stuff coming up! If you interested in a pre-sale and would like to make a generous donation before hand, hit me...

In July I took my first trip out of the US. I went to Nicaragua with a team from Riverbluff Church in SC (where my dad is the pastor). It was a great trip and I absolutely loved it. First off, no I’m not planning a move- just working on some things that will allow me to go visit again. While in Nicaragua we met families (and their extended family) living in very small (15′ x 20′) houses and many times 10 or more people were sharing one house. We met a young expecting Mom named Haley who asked us to help her complete her house. We visited her place and she had 4 posts up and the house was going to be less than 15′ x 15′! The size was not a concern because it was going to be hers. Looking into the specifics of this project we were able to find materials to finish the basics for under $500. Under $500 would give Haley a house for her 2 children, plus the one on the way, and her husband. Insane! Being able to change someone’s life and potentially alter their entire family’s future, for the better, is what gets me excited about this. So, my mind goes out of control. How do I buy houses for these families? I want to help and I know people who’d be willing to help! Here’s How… After dreaming through this and long conversations with my buddy, partner, co-hort, surf-master, and friend, Matt, we believe we can make this a reality. The company is called Building Love and we’ve launched a...